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Marley was stolen from a dogs home and was set to have his ears cut off to avoid identifying him (Pictures: PA/SWNS)

A thief who tried to cut off the ears of a rescue home dog and had his microchip removed to avoid being identified, has not been banned from owning pets.

Martin Carter, 32, has been sentenced to six months behind bars after stealing Marley, an American XL Bully dog, from Birmingham Dogs Home in November 2017.

Leamington Magistrates’ Court heard how Carter arranged to have Marley’s ears cropped and had surgically removed his microchip and replaced it with another.

However the prosecution’s application for him to be barred from owning animals again was rejected.

Marley had been sent to the home by the courts after his previous owner was convicted of using him in an attack on a woman earlier that year, reported Birmingham Live.

Despite Marley being practically untraceable after he was stolen, dogs home staff had never given up searching for him and launched numerous appeals to find the dog.

Marley had been sent to the dogs home because he had been used in an attack by a previous owner (Picture: SWNS)

Carter was sentenced to six months in prison (Picture: PA)

Following a police investigation, Carter was arrested when Marley was found at an address in Coventry, West Midlands.

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He pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and causing a prohibited procedure to be performed on an animal at Leamington Magistrates Court.

Carter was given a six month custodial sentence for handling stolen goods and three months – which will run concurrently – for the animal offence, on June 4.

A West Mercia Police spokesman said: ‘West Mercia Police is committed to preventing any unnecessary cruelty and suffering being caused to animals and will seek to prosecute anyone involved in such practices to the full extent of the law, asking for owners to be disqualified from keeping animals in future wherever possible.’